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Blessings Chidakwa Herald Reporter

HARARE City Council officials are alleged to be on a land looting spree across the city, changing the use of council properties such as recreational parks to residential or commercial stands that can be leased out and then sold, investigations reveal.

Information from several sources and documents reveals that some councillors in the opposition-led council have been leasing out recreational parks to cherry-picked individuals for a song with the land ultimately being converted to other uses.

A recreational stand in Belvedere, remainder of stand 40668 Salisbury Township lands, on the corner of Cardiff Avenue and Denbigh Avenue, could soon be lost to a private property developer. Part of the recreational facility was leased to Roshan Ismail for recreational purposes with the lease agreement having been adopted by the council on September 5, 2017.

Following clause 10.5 of the lease agreement, Ms Ismail ought to have erected and completed principal buildings designed for recreational use with a minimum value of US$20 000 within four years from the start of the lease. However, five years later, she has only erected a perimeter fence, in breach of the lease agreement. A request for a change of land use then followed with the proposal to create four commercial stands on the property.

“It is intended to change the reservation over Remainder of Stand 40668 Belvedere Township from public open space and recreation to commercial use, in terms of Section 49 (3) and (4) of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act.

“The property in question, which is owned by City of Harare, is zoned for public open space and recreation in terms of the operative Showgrounds Local Development Plan Number 42,” reads a letter addressed to the principal director of physical planning.

Several objections were made by residents between 2011 and 2018 to stop the change of land use. The issue resurfaced in 2022 with a notice of change of land use being published in a local daily newspaper on October 5, 2022.

“Notice is hereby given of an application to carry out the following development on Stand 4229 Salisbury Township of Stand 4458 Salisbury Township (Cardiff Road) Belvedere, Harare. The property in question measures 1814 square metres in extent.

“It is proposed to establish offices on the above-mentioned stand which is zoned residential zone 2A(i) in terms of the Showground Local Development Plan No 42 wherein the proposed use may be permitted through special consent of the local planning authority,” read the notice.

In a letter dated February 18, 2019, Belvedere Residents Association raised a red flag over the conversion of the recreational facility to former Minister of Local Government and Public Works July Moyo, former city Mayor Hebert Gomba, Harare town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango, ZACC and the police deputy commissioner crime.

In the letter, the residents allege that they carried out developments including paying for a solar powered borehole, swings for children, garden and park seats, solar lights and refurbishing an existing toilet and kitchen which was disrupted by Ms Isamail.

“To our surprise, a lady by the name Roshan Ismail came to disturb the process claiming that she owns half of the park through a lease with the city of Harare,” reads the letter by chairperson Samunda. 

“When faced with resistance she said that she paid US$60 000 to the former councillor Paula Macharangwanda of (MDC) together with the Harare City Planner Samuel Nyabeze. As residents we were not aware that the park was being leased to Roshan Ismail.”

Mr Samunda said they saw a foreigner who also claimed that he wanted to buy the land for US$1,5 million. Both former MDC Councillor Macharangwanda and city planner Mr Nyabeze denied having any links with Ms Isamail including having her contact details. Ms Ismail could not be immediately reached for comment.

City planner Nyabeze said there is no such change of use happening in Belvedere. “If we come up with a proposal for change of use for public open space from residential to commercial, due processes will be done. It is not something which is to be done secretly or Nicodemusly,” he said.

The due processes, he said, involved submitting such an application to the council’s public works committee which, if satisfied, would submit it to the full council which, if it also endorsed the change, then would submit to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works.

He said the Minister of Local Government and Public Works would cause an advertisement to be done in the press and will also cause every adjacent neighbour in Belvedere to be consulted for their views.

“They will be given the chance to participate if the change of use is proposed. At present, we have got no such proposals, but if it happens the neighbours will be allowed to object like they are doing,” he said.

Former Belvedere, Monavale, Ridgeview and Avondale councillor, Cllr Macharangwanda, who left council in 2018, fumed over the allegations.

“I have no comment to make. It’s the council that allocates land. I am just a policymaker who sits on committees. Officials from the evaluation department and housing should be in a better position to comment,” she said.

Ironically during her tenure in 2015, the then Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing ordered Harare City Council to appoint external auditors to investigate five MDC-T councillors who were alleged to have demanded bribes from housing cooperatives to facilitate the allocation of stands.

She was accused together with the chairperson of the Education, Health, Housing and Community Services and Licencing Committee Charles Nyatsuro, his deputy Luckson Mukunguma, Mabelreign, Ashdown, Meyrick, Haig Park and Tynwald councillor Lancelot Mudavanhu and Highfield councillor Special Zuze.

Current Zanu PF councillor ward 5 Belvedere Cde Abdurrahman Sapa said, following consultations with residents, they wanted it to remain a recreational park and vowed to contribute towards its refurbishment. 

“We want to maintain it so that it remains a recreational facility,” he said.